Piece By Piece
by Bex-La-Get
Summary: Hermione's devastated after Ron leaves her and Rose for a life of fame and glory in the States. But when she finds comfort in an unlikely source, she begins to believe in love again for herself and for her daughter. Inspired by Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling. One-shot.


_**A/N: Inspired by**_ **Piece by Piece** _ **by Kelly Clarkson. Super long one-shot alert! So before everyone freaks out on me for bashing on Ron, please remember that I love Ron and I think that he's a severely underrated character in the Harry Potter world but for the sake of the story, he's a dick. Sorry not sorry. I just heard the song and was inspired and I had to write it. So, please don't send hate, because you know I love Ron. He just turned into a jerk for the story but I think you'll be happy with the ending.**_

 _ **Happy Labor Day weekend!**_

 _ **Tallyho!  
**_

* * *

Hermione knew that things between her and Ron were rough. Between the miscarriage with their would-be son, Ron's ridiculous Quidditch schedule keeping him away from home all the time, and their constant fighting over the smallest of things, things between them hadn't been easy. But Hermione thought they could work through them; they always did.

Never, in a million years, however, did Hermione expect to come home to find Ron's stuff gone and a letter on the dining table telling her that he was leaving and he would send her the divorce papers within a couple days.

There was no apology.

No 'tell Rose I love her.'

Nothing. He was gone and seemed to have no intention of coming back.

Hermione felt her heart shatter and thanked Merlin that she still had a couple hours before she had to pick Rose up from school. Before she knew it, Hermione was flooing to Harry and Ginny's. The second she saw her best friend, she collapsed into his arms, sobbing, as Ginny read the letter her brother had left his soon-to-be ex-wife. The redhead was shaking with rage as she finished the letter and it only dissipated as she took Hermione into her arms and rubbed her back soothingly while shooting daggers into a picture of Ron that was sitting on the mantle.

Harry seemed to be torn between disgust, rage, and heartbreak as he watched Hermione cry her eyes out in his wife's arms. How could Ron do this? How could he just pick up and leave his wife and daughter behind with no goodbye? Currently, he was disgusted with his best friend (if he could even call him that right now) but heartbroken for his niece and her mother. He sighed and shook his head as he walked out of the living room to floo Molly Weasley and tell her what her youngest son had just done.

When Hermione had finally calm down, her mind began to swirl around her only salvation: Rose. Her baby girl. It was just them now. She wasn't concerned about finances; Hermione had more than enough money to support them both. She was concerned how she would break to her baby girl that daddy was gone. And he wasn't coming back.

"What am I going to tell Rose?" she asked Ginny, her voice cracking.

Ginny pushed a curl behind Hermione's ear. "Tell her the truth."

"Tell her that her father doesn't love her anymore? That he doesn't want to be with either one of us anymore? How do I explain that to a three-year-old?"

"Tell it to her in a way that she'll understand. Tell her that daddy went on vacation."

"And when she asks what vacation means?"

Ginny thought for a moment. "Tell her that vacation is when someone goes somewhere and doesn't ever come back. It's the only way she'll understand."

"What if she asks why?" Hermione's eyes filled with tears again. "What do I say?"

Ginny was at a loss for that one. Her eyes filled with sadness and she pulled Hermione into a hug. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I'm sorry that my brother is an ass. I'm sorry that he's putting you and your sweet daughter through this. And I'm so sorry that I don't have any words of wisdom for you. I wish I could help."

Hermione sniffled and pulled out of the hug to look at her friend. She shook her head. "Just being here for me is making a difference."

"We'll always be here for you. My brother can fuck off for all I care. Granger, Weasley, or whatever, you'll always be my sister and I will always protect and support you. If you ever need anything, please just ask."

Hermione nodded and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Gin."

Just then, Harry walked back into the room carrying a groggy Albus. "Just spoke with Molly; she's livid as is Arthur and everyone else. No one knows where Ron went but they're trying to contact him now to knock some sense into him, not that it'd do much good, if you ask me. Anyway, Hermione, Molly says that no matter what Ron does, you'll always be a part of the family and any time you need something or if you want to see them, you're more than welcome to stop by anytime. Same applies for us."

Hermione gave him a weak smile. "Thank you guys, both of you." She looked at the clock on the wall. "I should go pick up Rose."

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Ginny asked. "We have plenty of room and we'd love to have you."

Hermione squeezed Ginny's hand but shook her head. "No, thank you though. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Ginny nodded and pulled Hermione into a hug. "I don't care if it's three a.m., if you need us, call us."

Hermione sniffed and wiped away the tears that began to sneak out. "Thank you." She hugged Harry and gave Albus a gentle kiss before flooing to Rose's school to take her home. When they flooed back home, Rose immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Mama, where's Papa?" she asked.

Hermione looked down at her daughter. "What do you mean, my love?" she asked, amazed that her daughter already picked up that something was different.

"It's too quiet," Rose observed.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, yes it is." She sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to her for Rose to sit down. She complied. Hermione brushed a curl of red hair behind Rose's ear before speaking. _Here we go_. "Honey, I have something I need to tell you."

Rose sat patiently as her mother gathered her bearings. "Papa's gone, sweetheart."

"Where did he go?" Rose asked.

 _Tell her he went on vacation,_ Ginny's words rang in Hermione's ears as she thought of what to say next. "He- he went on vacation, my love."

"What's that?"

"Vacation is when you go somewhere… and… and you don't ever come back."

Rose's eyes showed something that mirrored understanding. "Oh… is that the same thing as Heaven?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, my love. Heaven is where you go when you die. Vacation is where you go when… you're still alive but you don't come back."

"Why? Doesn't Papa like us anymore?"

Hermione could feel the tears welling up again. "I…" _How am I supposed to tell her yes_? "I think he loves you very much, sweetheart," she decided to say. "Papa just needs to be by himself for a while. Maybe forever."

"So Papa's gone, forever?"

Hermione sniffed and nodded. "I think so. It's just you and me, now."

Rose thought for a moment before curling up against her mother. "I hope Papa's happy." Hermione wiped a tear and sniffled. "Are you happy, Mama?" Rose asked, looking up at her mother.

Hermione gave her a small smile. "Of course, my love. I have you. And you make me so very happy."

Rose smiled at Hermione and hugged her. "As long as you're happy, then I'm happy. I love you, Mama."

Hermione held onto to Rose tightly. "I love you too, Rose."

Hermione cried herself to sleep that night. But when she woke up the next morning to the smiling face of her daughter, she vowed that she would never shed a tear over Ron Weasley again. And she didn't.

* * *

 **One Year Later**

Hermione and Rose had learned to live without Ron within a few months of his leaving. Hermione got rid of all the pictures of her and Ron, only keeping one at Rose's request: one of Ron and Rose dancing in the living room when Rose was no more than a year old. The Weasleys had stayed in contact with Hermione and Rose and the two consistently visited the family for Sunday brunch. Molly was still furious with her son but was happy to see that her now ex-daughter-in-law seemed to finally be happy again, even if it was just a little bit. She was still too skinny for her own good, her hair was frazzled more than usual, and her eyes had lost their spark but Molly knew that with time, Hermione would heal and get better. In the meantime, she promised herself that she'd be there for the young woman and support her in her time of struggle.

Hermione had changed her last name back to Granger but kept Rose's as Weasley for the time being. She decided that if Rose wanted, she could change it when she was older.

Ron, as it turns out, ran off to San Diego, California and was making quite a living as a Chaser for the Quidditch team there (the Towers). When Molly had finally gotten a hold of him, she gave him more than an earful but all Ron said was that he needed to leave for his own sanity, then ended the call with his mother. Molly wasn't very happy with that, obviously, and, with Arthur in tow, went to San Diego to get the real story.

Apparently, Ron felt trapped in his marriage and no longer wanted the life he signed up for when he and Hermione got married. Hermione's miscarriage broke Ron more than he'd ever admitted and felt that the only way to heal was to run. So run he did and he left his wife and daughter behind for a life of fame and glory in the States. Molly and Arthur returned to England furious and hadn't spoken to Ron since. None of the Weasleys had.

Hermione may have had double duty as both parents _and_ as a working mother, but somehow, she made it work. Every morning, she'd drop Rose off at the Ministry day care, go to work, pick her daughter up at five p.m. every afternoon, then they'd either go home and eat dinner together before visiting Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and her cousins or they'd spend the evening together either watching a movie or reading a book.

One afternoon, Hermione decided to give Rose an early birthday present and take her to Flourish and Blotts to pick out a new book to read before bedtime. As Rose ran off to find a new book, Hermione scanned the rows of bookshelves, looking for something for herself. She was lost in thought about a particular book when she crashed into someone. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I-" she stopped short when she saw who she bumped into. "Malfoy?"

"Granger?" Draco Malfoy asked.

She hadn't seen him since he joined the Ministry as an Auror after Hogwarts graduation. He cleared his family name, made peace with everyone he had antagonized in school (the Golden Trio included) and earned his way to be a respected Auror and eventually worked his way up until he became Minister of Magic. Quite the change from the son of a Death Eater but he'd proved his worth more than once and was now a highly respected member of society and even won the Order of Merlin. He and Hermione would occasionally see each other during meetings but they never spoke much outside of the updates for Hermione's department and the occasional small talk in the lift. He usually kept to himself, however, and was rarely ever seen in public, so it was more than a surprise to run into him in Flourish and Blotts of all places.

They stared at each other for a moment before Draco cleared his throat and Hermione shook her head. "Um, sorry Mr. Malfoy; I wasn't watching where I was going."

He shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for," he said. "And, please, call me Draco. Mr. Malfoy makes me feel old."

Hermione chuckled and nodded. "Draco, then."

They stood in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "So you browsing or planning on buying the entire store?" he joked.

She rolled her eyes. He no longer made rude or degrading comments to her; instead he'd tease her about something or other and she had grown to appreciate his odd yet still funny sense of humor. "My daughter's birthday is next week," she explained, "so I decided I'd give her an early gift and get her a new book."

He chuckled. "So she's a bookworm like her mother. Why am I not surprised."

She slapped him lightly on the arm and shook her head. "What about you? Looking into a new investment?"

"Yes, actually. But a bit smaller than a bookstore." He held up the book he was holding and she raised an eyebrow.

"A cookbook?"

He shrugged. "Let's just say that my cooking skills are subpar and I'm getting a bit sick of living off warming charms and take-out."

She chuckled. "Be sure not to let that get out: Minister of Magic, Draco Malfoy, can run an entire Ministry but can't boil an egg."

He threw his hands up in surrender. "Guilty as charged. But I managed to make toast this morning without burning it so I think I deserve a little credit there."

"Baby steps are always a good start," she laughed - _really_ laughed and it wasn't until the sound escaped her mouth that she realized just how good it felt to do something simple as laugh again. And all because of a certain blonde. He smiled back at her and she felt something in her stomach that almost felt like butterflies but it vanished as she heard the familiar voice of Rose running up to her. "Mama!" she said as she approached her mother and held up two books. "I'm conflicted!" Draco chuckled at the little one's vocabulary and assumed that she picked a lot of it up from her mother.

"Over what, love?" Hermione asked.

"Over which book!" Rose said as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet. "Dragons or Quidditch?"

Hermione pursed her lips. If there was one thing she hoped her daughter wouldn't inherit from her father it was his obsession with Quidditch but obviously that had had been a hopelss wish. "Think about it: you have at least four books on Quidditch but I don't think you have too many on dragons."

"Dragons, then!" Rose said, then ran off to put the other book back. Hermione watched as her daughter ran off happily and heard a chuckle behind her and turned back to Draco who was smirking. "Well she's a spitfire."

Hermione sighed and chuckled. "She certainly keeps me on my toes, that's for sure."

"Another Gryffindor, you think?"

She bit her lip in hesitation. "Probably. Which scares the daylights out of me because something tells me that she'll cause more trouble than the Weasley twins."

He laughed at the idea and his smile softened as Rose joined her mother again. Hermione leaned down and picked Rose up. "Rose, this is the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy. Can you say hello?"

She smiled a partially toothy grin at him. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy!"

"Hello, Rose," Draco smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And, please, call me Draco." She beamed at him and his smile grew slightly.

Hermione kissed Rose's temple. "You ready, kiddo?"

Rose nodded. Hermione smiled at Draco. "It was good to see you, Mal- Draco. Good luck with your cooking."

He chuckled and gave her a nervous look. "Thanks; something tells me I'll need it."

She chuckled. "Well if you ever need any pointers, you know where my office is."

"I might take you up on that," he smirked.

She smiled and bid him goodbye. After she paid for Rose's book, they returned home and ate dinner together before Hermione gave her a bath and tucked her into bed and began to read from Rose's new book. Hermione was only a few pages in when Rose interrupted her. "Mama, do you work with Mr. Draco?"

"Yes, Rose, I do."

"Do you see him at work a lot?"

"Occasionally. He manages the entire Ministry, though and I only manage one department so we don't see too much of each other."

"I think you should see him more," Rose stated.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And why's that?"

"He makes you smile. I like it when you smile because that means you're happy. And when you're happy, I'm happy."

"I'm happy, my love," Hermione insisted. "I have you and that's all I need to be happy."

Rose shrugged. "Still. I think you should see him more. People who make you smile are good people to keep."

Hermione was amazed at how perceptive her daughter was. It scared her sometimes. But maybe Rose had a point. She made her peace that Ron wasn't coming back and she had made a point to prove to herself that she didn't need a man to raise her daughter and work full-time as well and she had succeeded. She was at the top of her department, lived in a modest but nice flat with Rose and managed to even take her daughter on a holiday (she was careful not to use the word vacation) to Paris for Christmas. Hermione had done very well for herself ever since Ron had left and she was proud of herself. But she'd be lying if she said that she didn't miss the idea of a companion; someone to talk to about work and her day and someone who'd be able to share their opinion with her. She loved Rose but talking to a three-year-old didn't always lead to a stimulating conversation when said three-year-old has a very short attention span.

She hesitated about dating, however, because the dating game was a mess anyway. Trying to get into that with a kid made it ten times harder and riskier because there was always the chance that if she brought someone home and Rose got attached but it didn't work out, there'd be more than one heart breaking.

When she thought about Draco, though, she smiled a little as she remembered those butterflies that appeared in her stomach earlier today when she was talking to him. She did feel lighter while talking to him and his smile was infectious. Maybe Rose wasn't wrong… maybe she should see Draco more often...

* * *

Three days later, there was a knock on Hermione's office door. "Come in," she said, not looking up from her paperwork. "What is it, Sarah? I'm busy," she said, assuming she's talking to her assistant.

"Don't you ever take a break?" she heard a different voice say and her head shot up as she spotted Draco leaning on the door frame of her office, smirking.

"Uh… well I have a big presentation coming up and I- wait, what are you even doing here?" she asked.

His smirk grew. "I wanted to see if you wanted to grab lunch?"

She hesitated. "I really shouldn't leave; this project's due Friday and everything has to be perfect and-"

"Your project will still be here when you get back. Come on, grab lunch with me. You look like you could use a break, anyway."

She knows she should stay and work on her project but his smirk is irresistible and she promised herself that she'd see if Rose was right… Oh, what the hell. "Let me grab my cloak," she said, standing from her desk.

He smiled and followed her out of her office. He took her to a small Italian restaurant in Diagon Alley and they shared pleasant conversation throughout the whole lunch. "So how's your cooking endeavor going?" she asked.

"Uh…" he hesitated and she chuckled. "That bad?"

"Well… I mean, okay I'm gonna be honest, boiling an egg is harder than I thought."

She laughed. "You'll get it. Practice makes perfect, after all."

He huffed. "It sounds so easy when you read it in the book."

She smiled then had an idea. She almost turned it down but something in her gut told her to go with it. So she did. "Do you want some help?"

"Please," he practically begged and she laughed again.

"Well, I can give you some pointers and some simple recipes to start with. And, if you'd like, I can give you a hands-on lesson. Sometimes it's easier to learn if you're doing while learning. If you want, of course."

A smile started to grow on his lips. "That would be incredibly helpful but I don't want to impose."

She shook her head. "You wouldn't be imposing." She paused for a moment. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

His smile grew. "Not to my knowledge."

"Would you like to join Rose and myself for dinner? I can show you how to cook a few things here and there and give you a few recipes to take home too. Plus, you get a meal out of it."

"I'd love to," he said.

She smiled and felt those familiar butterflies return. "Great."

* * *

Rose was in the living room, coloring and humming to herself, when the doorbell rang. Hermione came downstairs and double checked her appearance one more time before opening the front door to Draco. He smiled at her and she returned the gesture, opening the door wider to let him in. He handed her a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."

"They're beautiful, thank you," she smiled at him.

He lifted a bag up in his other hand. "This is for little Rose."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me it's not a broom."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, it's something far more safe."

She chuckled and nodded. "She's in here." She led him to the living room where Rose was still preoccupied with her coloring book. "Rose, we have company," Hermione said.

The small redhead lifted her head and smiled as she saw Draco. "Hello Mr. Draco," she said.

"Hello, Miss Rose." Hermione walked into the kitchen to put the flowers into a vase, leaving the two of them alone. Draco walked over to Rose and knelt down next to her. "What are you doing?"

"Coloring," she said, proudly. "Want to join me?"

"Maybe later; I'm supposed to help your mum with dinner, tonight." Rose nodded in understanding. "I did hear that your birthday is coming up, however, and I wanted to give you an early birthday gift." He handed her the small bag.

Rose took the tissue out of the bag and Draco smiled as her face lit up when she pulled out the red stuffed dragon. "He's perfect!" Rose exclaimed as she hugged him close to her.

Draco chuckled. "I'm glad you like him."

She beamed at him. "Thank you, Mr. Draco."

"You're very welcome, Rose." He smiled. He glanced up and found Hermione leaning on the door frame, trying to hide her smile by biting her nail but failing miserably. He smirked at her and she shook her head. "You ready?"

He gave her a nervous look and she laughed. "You'll never learn until you try," she said and he groaned but followed her into the kitchen only to be accosted with an apron. He looked at it with disdain. "An apron? Really?"

"Yep. If you're as bad as you say you are, then you have to wear an apron. No ifs, ands, or buts."

He huffed but tied the apron around him anyway and scrunched his nose at Hermione when she snickered at the sight. "Okay, so what's first?"

She decided to go with something simple that night: pasta with meat and red sauce. It was one of the first dishes she had ever learned to make and she decided that it would be a good starter for Draco. First task was having him boil the water for the pasta. That seemed like an easy task at first but Hermione discovered that Draco hated waiting and water can take a while to boil, so she put him on meat cooking duty instead. He struggled to get it at first but after a few tries, he managed to figure out a way to cook the meat without accidentally kicking it out of the pan.

While she taught him to cook, they talked. She told him about when she first learned to cook and he told her about his mother's most recent obsession with pie making and how she made three pies in one day once. He told her about Lucius turning part of the Manor gardens into a peacock farm and was breeding and raising them himself and how the gardens were overflowing with peacocks to the point that they had to set some of them free because it was becoming a problem. She laughed at that and he smiled at the sound.

He knew what happened with Ron; Harry had told him (the two had developed a friendship of sorts while working as Aurors together). He hadn't brought it up to Hermione because he didn't want to reopen a wound that seemed to finally be healing. But it made him happy to see her smile and laugh; she was a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul and she deserved to be happy. He could strangle Ron for leaving her and Rose but decided it was better to leave it be. Ron would realize his mistake eventually, but by then it would be too late. She would have moved on by then, he was sure of it. Hermione wasn't one to wait around for anything and, he had to admit, he couldn't wait to see the look on Ron's face when he comes crawling back to her and she rejects him.

As for himself, he liked Hermione; he'd admitted that to himself after he'd grown to like their small banter in the lift while they were moving between floors because she managed to keep up with him. It hadn't been anything more than just a fondness for her (or so he told himself) but now that he had talked to her in a non-work setting more than once, he was realizing that he was liking her more and more now. She was witty, funny, kind, and strong as hell. And from what he had seen, she was a great mother to her little girl. Draco admired her strength and determination despite her circumstances. He wanted to get to know her better and see if, maybe one day, they could develop a relationship of sorts but he wouldn't push her. He'd let her decide that on her own terms.

Fifteen minutes later, dinner was ready, Rose was in her highchair at the table and Hermione was setting plates down for the three of them. As soon as they sat down, Rose immediately began to interrogate Draco.

"So, Mr. Draco," she began.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Mama was reading me my dragon book last night and she said something that reminded me of you."

"Oh, really?" he raised an eyebrow and looked at Hermione. She struggled to hide her laugh and he rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Rose. "What did the book say?"

"It said that the con-conspellation" (she couldn't quite pronounce constellation) "of a dragon in the sky is named Draco! Does that mean that you're a dragon?!" she asked excitedly.

Draco looked back to Hermione and immediately both broke out into laughter. Hermione buried her face into her hands to try to gather her bearings while Draco took a sip of his drink before answering Rose. "Not exactly;" he said and Rose's face fell a little bit. "It's a tradition in my family to name children after constellations. My parents just so happened to pick Draco. Although, I don't think being a dragon would be too bad. I think it'd be kind of fun."

"You say that now but you've never ridden one," Hermione said quietly but Rose and Draco both heard her.

"You did what?" Draco asked.

"You rode a dragon, mama?" Rose asked excitedly.

Hermione immediately regretted saying that but it was too late now. Draco rose an eyebrow and she sighed before telling the story of how her, Harry and Ron (she didn't choke when speaking Ron's name, something she silently patted herself on the back for) escaped Gringotts on the back of dragon during the war. By the end of the story, Rose was wide-eyed and Draco was looking at her, impressed. Rose kept the conversation going for the rest of the dinner, telling Hermione and Draco about all the different types of dragons she had learned about in her book.

After dinner, Draco offered to do the dishes while Hermione put Rose down to bed, something the brunette was incredibly thankful for. When Hermione came back down, all the dishes were cleaned, the food was put away, and the kitchen was spotless. Draco was leaning against the counter and smiled at her. She returned the smile and thanked him. Then she grabbed a couple of wine tumblers and grabbed a brand new bottle of wine. "Care to help me break this in?"

He smirked. "Sure."

She filled both glasses then lead him outside into the backyard and they sat on the patio swing in silence for a few minutes. "Thank you for tonight," she finally said. "I needed it."

He raised an eyebrow. "You needed to teach someone how to cook?"

She lightly slapped his arm and he laughed. "I'm kidding; it was my pleasure. Besides, you and Rose are far better company than a book."

She shrugged. "I don't know, sometimes a good book can be great company."

He couldn't argue with that. "While that is true, reading can get a bit repetitive sometimes and lose it's appeal when it's the only interesting thing to do besides paperwork."

She smiled a little. "That, I can imagine, is true."

He smiled at her and they stayed in a comfortable silence for a moment before Hermione spoke again. "So I think you're Rose's new favorite," she mused.

"Really? Why's that?" Draco asked.

"She's incredibly shy. It's hard to get her to say hi to someone she doesn't know but the second she saw you, she was very friendly. I think she's also fascinated by your name." He chuckled at that. "And the way she talked tonight… I haven't heard her chatter on like that since before… well, you know." He nodded in understanding. "I don't know what you did, but thank you."

"I made her mother smile," he said.

Hermione froze for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"I'm no expert on kids but I know that they mirror their parents in many ways; one of them being if mum or dad is happy, they're happy. If mum or dad is sad, they're sad. It's how they learn to communicate. I think that Rose heard you laugh and saw you smile tonight and that brought some life back into her as well."

Hermione couldn't believe that Draco had picked that up. Hermione had laughed and smiled more tonight than she had since before Ron left. The more she laughed, the lighter she had begun to feel too. Like the large shadow that was standing over her was finally starting to recede, even if just a little bit.

"How'd you pick that much up on just a little bit of information?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Blaise and Pansy's son is my godson. I've watched him enough around his parents to notice that he picks up on their moods and their facial expressions."

"And you claim you're no expert," she joked. He smirked.

"Are you doing anything on Sunday?" she asked, suddenly.

He thought for a moment. "Not to my knowledge. Why?"

"It's Rose's birthday and I was going to throw a little get together for her. W-would you like to come?"

A smile grew on his face. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah; it'd mean a lot to both of us if you came."

He squeezed her hand, causing her to smile. "I'd love to."

* * *

Sunday. A majority of the Weasley clan was at Hermione's house (excluding Ron, for obvious reasons, Percy and his wife, who were currently on a vacation in the Bahamas, and Charlie who was in Egypt working with a new breed of dragons), as well as the Potters, the Longbottoms (Neville, Luna, and their daughter Amélie) and, of course, Draco. A couple people seemed surprised to see Draco there but noticing Rose's happy reaction to his appearance and Hermione's smile, they said nothing. Hermione deserved some happiness and if that happened in the form of Draco Malfoy, who were they to judge? He was a good guy and Rose seemed to like him. That was a good basis for everyone else so they let it be.

Currently, Hermione, Ginny and Luna were sitting on the porch while Molly and Arthur were inside, relaxing, Neville was sitting on the edge of the porch playing with Amélie, and Harry, Draco, George and his wife, and Bill and Fleur were in the yard playing with the kids. Harry, and Draco were teaching James, Rose, and Albus about flying will Victoire and Dominique were picking flowers and George and Angelina were playing tag with their kids. Hermione chuckled as Rose tackled Albus to the ground over who would ride the toy broom first and James jumped on while his cousin and brother were preoccupied. Harry put his head in his hands and Draco laughed at the two kids before looking up and seeing Hermione looking at him. He smiled at her and she blushed as she felt those butterflies in her stomach again; they were becoming a regular occurrence whenever she was around him.

"So how long have you and Malfoy been a thing?" Ginny asks.

Hermione furrows her brows. "What? W- we're not a thing, Gin."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "The look you just gave each other says otherwise."

"We just smiled at each other. It was nothing," Hermione insisted.

"Well if that isn't denial, then I'm a nargle," Luna mused, watching her husband and daughter.

Hermione turned her attention to the blonde. "Luna!"

"Look, Hermione, you know I love you, but I'm not about to let you sit in denial over your feelings for Draco when it's very obvious that he likes you."

Hermione could feel a blush forming on her cheeks. "W-what? I- he- we're just friends, guys."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I'm Dumbledore." Hermione furrowed her brows at her friend. "Luna's right, hon," Ginny said. "He likes you and I can tell that you like him too. You smile, and I mean _really_ smile whenever he's around, and you seem to be happy when you're talking to him. I don't know why you're denying it when you very obviously care about him."

Hermione sighed in defeat. Yes, she liked Draco and she would love nothing more than to try to pursue a relationship with him. But there was one thing keeping her from doing it: Rose. "Okay, so say that we start dating. Say that Rose grows really attached to him. Then something goes wrong and we break up. Rose would be devastated. She never let me see but I know that she cried herself to sleep the first three months after Ron left. How could I put her through that again? I can't."

"Do you really think that he's the kind of guy who would leave?" Luna asks, already knowing the answer.

Hermione huffed. "No but I can't… I can't put either her or myself through that kind of pain again."

Ginny sighed and squeezed Hermione's hand. "Hermione, I'm going to give you some advice that you gave me once: take a leap of faith. Life is full of ups and downs, sweetheart; that's what makes it life. You could fall flat on your face or you could land on both feet. But you'll never know until you try. Don't push away an opportunity at some real happiness just because you're scared. Come on, you're a Gryffindor! Where's that bravery that we're famous for?"

Hermione sighed and looked back out onto the yard and smiled at the sight of Draco swinging Rose around. "He's already fallen in love with Rose," Luna said. "and he's obviously crazy about you. I really don't think he would have it in him to hurt either of you or leave. Give him a chance, Hermione. He could prove all your doubts and fears wrong."

"And if he turns out to be a jerk," Neville said from the edge of the porch, "then we'll beat him up."

Ginny laughed. "Well said, Neville." Hermione ignored them, however, as she watched her daughter give Draco a hug before running off to play with James. She watched her daughter play with her cousin and smiled to herself. _Take a leap of faith?_ she thought. _Alright; watch me leap._

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry approached Draco as the latter watched Rose run off to her cousin. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Draco said, smiling to himself.

"So, you and Hermione," Harry began.

"There is no 'me and Hermione,'" Draco corrected.

"You sure? Because the looks you've been giving each other all day tell me otherwise," Harry said.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing. But if there's something going on between you two," he put a finger up to silence Draco when he opened his mouth to interrupt, "I just want to make sure that you have good intentions."

"What do you mean?"

"Hermione's like my sister and I'm just watching out for her. And, say what you will, but I can see that you like her and that she likes you too. But this past year was hell for her and if she lets you in and you two start to see each other, I just want to make sure that you're not going to hurt her. She and Rose can't go through that again."

Draco nodded and looked back to Hermione who was laughing at something Luna said. "I don't think I could dream of hurting either of them," he said quietly.

"That's all I needed to hear," Harry said, satisfied. "Take good care of them, okay?"

"There's no guarantee that she'd even let me in like that," Draco said.

"Trust me, with the way she's been looking at you all afternoon, she will. Just give it time."

* * *

Later that evening, Draco was cleaning up the kitchen while Hermione was putting Rose down to bed. When she came back down, she grabbed a towel and began to dry the dishes that Draco was washing. "Thank you for coming today," she said. "I think Rose really enjoyed having you here."

He smiled. "Thanks for inviting me. I had fun."

She returned the smile. "Well, I'm glad."

They did the dishes together in silence, Draco washing and Hermione drying, the only sound was music coming from the small radio on the counter. Hermione smiled to herself and began to hum the tune quietly as she swayed a little bit back and forth to the music. Draco smiled at the action and dried his hands before holding his hand out to her. "Dance with me?"

"Right now?" she asked, laughing quietly.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

She smiled and took his hand and he begun to spin her around the kitchen. They danced in small circles and her smile would grow the longer they danced. As the song neared it's end, he pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and relaxed against him and he smiled. They had stopped moving now and just stood, foreheads together, eyes closed, his hands on her waist, and her hands on his arms. He began to move his lips closer to hers but stopped when she took a shaky breath. "Draco," she said.

"I know," he said, opening his eyes. "I know you may not want to let me in because you're scared and I completely understand that. I just want you to know that I'll wait. I'll wait until you're ready; I won't push you. But I want you to know that I won't hurt you like he did. I won't leave. I adore your daughter and I'm so smitten with you that I would rather be a Hufflepuff than hurt you."

She almost chuckled at that. "Draco, I- I want to let you in but I'm… I'm scared."

He brushed a curl behind her ear. "And with good reason. But, like I said, I won't push you. I'll wait until you're ready."

"What if I'm never ready?" she asked.

He smirked. "Then I'll accept my fate and hope that you'd still consider me a friend." She gave him a sad smile and he kissed her forehead. "Don't be afraid to take a leap of faith, Hermione," he said.

Hermione could feel her heart begin to pound as she looked into his grey eyes. She saw honesty, kindness, and comfort in his eyes and suddenly had a strong feeling of attachment to him. She didn't want to push him away; she wanted to pull him close and hold on. He told her he wouldn't hurt her; he told her he wouldn't leave, and she believed him. She trusted him.

So, taking a leap of faith, she stood on her toes and brushed her lips against his before pulling him in and kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she threw her arms around his neck as they kissed, and with each passing moment, Hermione could slowly feel the wall she built around her heart slowly start to crack.

* * *

 **Eight Months Later**

Draco and Hermione had decided to pursue a relationship after their kiss and so far, Draco had stood true to his word; he hadn't hurt either of them and he hadn't left. Sure, they had their arguments but instead of screaming matches, they would sit down and talk it out, each time bringing them closer together. With each passing month, Hermione's wall cracked more and more until it finally broke one night when she found Draco fast asleep with Rose on the couch after she asked him to babysit since she would have to work late.

Draco had been far better for Hermione and Rose than anyone had expected; Hermione had gained some weight back, she smiled more, her hair and skin seemed to be healthy again, and she was laughing more often. As for Rose, she was talking all the time now, she was always happy, and simply adored Draco (she called him Uncle Draco).

He was with them all the time and, since his cooking had improved dramatically since he started seeing Hermione, he would have dinner waiting for them when Hermione would get home from work. He had a key to her flat, she had a key to his, he would pick Rose up from school often, and spoiled her rotten (something Hermione hadn't really argued with as Draco made a point to spoil her with books instead of other material items). He took Hermione out once a week for a date just for them while Rose was at the Weasleys and then they'd spend the night tangled together in bed. He would send flowers to her office all the time and surprise her by cooking a new recipe that he learned; but his favorite thing to do was dance with her in the kitchen. Occasionally, he would dance with Rose too, causing the little one to laugh, bringing a smile to Hermione's face.

Hermione knew that she was falling for Draco. She could feel it as she smiled waking up to him and frowned when he wasn't there because he had spent the night at his place. He treated Rose like a princess and he had grown quite attached to her. He treated herself with a kindness she never knew anyone could possess and everytime he touched her, it was like he was memorizing her; like he didn't want to ever forget how soft her skin was or how her neck curved or the way her lips felt against his. He cared for her and made her better; he made her believe in love again. And she wasn't afraid of it anymore.

It was Sunday and Draco, Hermione, and Rose were at the Weasleys for the usual Sunday brunch when a very unexpected (and not entirely welcome) guest showed up.

Ron stopped short when he walked into the dining room and saw his family sitting around the dining table with his ex-wife, his daughter, and… Draco Malfoy? What the hell? "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he asked. It was unsure if he was directing it to Draco or Hermione.

"I could ask you the same thing," Ginny said, her fists clenched.

"I wasn't asking you, Ginny!" Ron barked.

"I don't care, Ron!" She yelled back.

"Guys!" Hermione interrupted. The entire table looked to her. "Don't, Gin," she said, not looking at her ex-husband, "he's not worth it." She cleared her throat before looking to Ron. "Can we speak privately." It wasn't a question. He grunted in response and stalked out of the room and into the kitchen. Hermione gave Rose a kiss on the forehead and squeezed Draco's shoulder before following Ron into the kitchen. He was standing by the sink, fists clenched and his face filled with a mixture of rage and surprise.

"What are you doing here, Ron?" she asked, keeping her voice calm.

"What the hell is _Malfoy_ doing here?" he asked in return, his voice laced with anger.

"I won't talk to you unless you calm down," she said, simply. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders, but kept his fists clenched. "Happy?" he spit out.

"Ecstatic," she replied, sarcastically. "What are you doing here?"

"Season's over," he said simply. "Came back home for a visit. Why is Malfoy here?"

"We're seeing each other," she said and had to control the urge to smirk as she saw Ron's face change color from white to a light pink.

"Really. Well, has he taught her how to speak Parseltongue yet?" he spat.

"No; actually, he's taught her how to dance and how to fly a broom. Something you were too busy to do."

"I was working," he defended.

"No; _I_ was working. Fifteen, sometimes twenty hour days only to come home to find Rose alone, with a bag of Bertie Bott's for dinner, and a coloring book out in front of her, as if that was supposed to keep her entertained, while you were nowhere to be found. Where were you, Ron? Where were you when you were supposed to be taking care of your daughter?!

"Actually, you know what, I don't even want to know. I don't care. What I do want to know is how could you leave Rose? How could you just walk away without a second thought about what it would do her when she found out that you were gone? She cried herself to sleep for _months_ after you left! _MONTHS!_ How can you stand there after almost _two years_ of being gone and come back to visit your family and not even _think_ about the little girl that you left behind? How, Ron?!"

He said nothing. She nodded in confirmation. "I thought so. You never cared about her, you never cared about me. All you ever cared about was your career and your fans that I _know_ you were shagging behind my back." His eyes widened and she smirked. "Oh yeah, I knew. I knew the entire time but I never said anything because I thought we could work it out. I thought that we could make it and you would stop. I thought that I _deserved_ you cheating on me because I wasn't good enough! But you know what? You weren't good enough for _me_. I know my worth now and I won't ever let you or anyone else walk all over me again. And I'm going to raise Rose so she knows her worth. She won't ever wonder if she's good enough because I'm going to raise her to know that she _is_ good enough. Unlike you, I'm going to put her first, Ron."

"I put her first!" he argued. "I would always bring her souvenirs from the games!"

"Material items don't count as putting someone first, Ron! Putting someone first is putting their needs over yours. It's taking care of someone else before taking care of yourself. It's being there for your daughter even if you feel like crap; it's getting up each morning and making sure that she was happy and satisfied even though I was dying inside and all I wanted to do was stay in bed forever. It's what I do every day for Rose and what Draco does every day for both of us."

He flinched when she brought up Draco. She didn't want to dig the knife deeper into him but the floodgates were open now and she couldn't stop herself even if she wanted. But Ron needed to hear it, whether he liked it or not, which kept her going. "Yes, Ron, Draco puts _your_ daughter before himself. He adores her and she loves him! She told him so, a couple days ago: she loves him and considers _him_ her dad. And you know what? He loves her too. As for you? You're just a distant memory to her."

He wouldn't look her in the eyes at this point. "Hurts, doesn't it?" she asked. "To know that you've been replaced? Welcome to the hell that you put me through, Ron. Have fun getting out."

"I needed to get out, Hermione!" he finally said. "I felt trapped. I felt like I was in a box that was getting smaller and smaller until I couldn't breathe anymore! I had to get out!"

"And desert your daughter in the process?! What about if the baby had been born? What if he was alive? Would you have still left? Or would you have stayed because it would have been 'the right thing to do'?"

He didn't have an answer. "You would've left him too…" she said, quietly. "That's sick, Ron. How you could leave Rose is still baffling to me but to have left the baby too? What the hell is _wrong_ with you?!"

"There was no other way, Hermione!"

"There were a million other ways!" She could feel her eyes start to well up with tears. "I don't even know why I'm fighting with you over this. You clearly think that what you did is okay. I am so sorry that you are so lost that you don't see what is wrong with deserting Rose. But I'm not sorry that she has someone who will love her like a father should; that she'll have someone she can rely on and trust. Someone who she can actually call dad."

"What if he leaves?" Ron said, trying to sound threatening but failing.

She shook her head. "He won't. Because unlike you, Ron, I trust him. I believe him when he says that he won't hurt her or me. And I believe him when he says that he won't leave. He's been more of a father figure to Rose in eight months than you were in three years. He loves her, she loves him, and you know what: I love him too."

It was the second time she had uttered those words. The first time had been the night before after Draco had confessed his feelings for her.

 _They had been laying in bed together, she was reading a book and he was playing with her hair. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck, causing her to chuckle and sending chills down her spine when he said it: "I love you," he whispered into her ear. She froze and he pulled her face to his so she could look at him. "You don't have to say it back; I'll give you time to decide for yourself how you feel. I just couldn't keep it in anymore; I had to tell you. I love you, Hermione and, if you'll let me, I will love you for as long as I live." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Take your time; I just wanted you to know."_

 _She could feel her eyes well up with tears and she pulled him into a passionate kiss that he returned with equal fervor. When they broke for air, she sniffed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Draco, you've made such a huge difference in my life in such a short time period; you make Rose so happy, you've reminded me what it means to feel beautiful and happy and loved, and you've taken such good care of both of us that I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for everything you've done. But I can only hope that my love for you is a good start: I love you too, Draco. I think I have for a while now and I can't imagine my life without you in it. You have my heart, my soul, and my undying love and I trust you more than enough to know that you won't take advantage of it."_

" _I won't," he promised._

" _And I won't hurt you," she promised in return. "I won't take advantage of you or push you away or put my walls back up because I'm not afraid anymore; you've shown me what real love is and I don't fear it anymore. Instead, I welcome it and I am so glad that it's with you. I love you."_

 _He smiled at that and pulled her in for another kiss before whispering how much he loved her in her ear all night._

Ron was furious now; she could see it in the way that his hands were shaking. She sighed and pushed her tears away. "I'm done, Ron. I'm done forgiving you for everything that you've done that's hurt me. Go; go back to San Diego and shag every girl in sight. I don't care anymore. I have Rose and Draco and an extended family that still loves me as one of their own despite the fact that I'm no longer married into said family. I'm going to raise my little girl to believe that she can breathe fire and let her know every day that she's loved.

"She's going to grow up knowing that she can do anything and everything she wants to do and she won't let anyone hurt her. She's going to be a fighter and a lover and everything in between and you won't get to see any of it. You won't get to be there when she gets her wand, when she goes to Hogwarts for the first time, when she gets sorted; you won't be there because you made your bed; and now you have to lay in it." She swallowed before speaking the words that had been on the tip of her tongue since she saw her ex-husband. "Goodbye, Ron."

She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, finding everyone sitting there quietly talking amongst themselves. Draco and Rose immediately perked up when Hermione entered the room and the latter ran up to her mother. Hermione picked her up and kissed her temple before giving Draco a look that said _Let's go_. He nodded and stood up. "Molly, I apologize but we'll have to head out early. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll grab lunch sometime later this week, okay?"

Molly nodded and smiled before giving Hermione and Rose a quick kiss and even gave Draco a hug. They said their goodbyes quickly to everyone else and began to leave when a familiar voice stopped them. "She's my daughter too, Hermione!" Ron yelled.

Draco immediately intercepted Hermione and took Rose from her arms before she turned and glared at Ron. Rose buried her face into Draco's neck and he tightened his hold on her which made Ron even angrier. "Really, Ron?" Hermione asked before the redhead could explode. "Because last I checked, fathers don't abandon their daughters for a life of fame and glory in another country. A father raises his daughter and takes care of her; he doesn't leave her alone to fend for herself at _three years old_." She took a deep breath. "You made your decision, Ron and now I'm making mine. If she wants to see you when she's older, that's her choice but until that day, you stay away from her and you stay away from me. We don't need you; we never did.

"I hope you find what you're looking for, Ron. I really do. But I have a life to live, work to do, and a family to take care of; I don't have time for your excuses or your sorry defense for why you left. I just want you to remember something: _you_ gave Rose up, _you_ left without a goodbye, and _you_ drove yourself out of her life. And I hope that decision haunts you for the rest of your life."

And with that, she turned around and walked out the door with Draco and Rose by her side.

* * *

Ron had returned to San Diego two days after his surprise visit and hadn't returned to London since. He and the rest of his family had made their peace with each other (although Ginny would never truly get over it) but he was family and she loved him; so she forgave him, eventually. As for Rose and Hermione, they had had no contact with Ron and were both quite happy without him. Hermione and Draco had decided to move in together shortly after their one year anniversary (and after Rose's fifth birthday) and Rose had been ecstatic that she would get to see Uncle Draco every day.

One evening, when Hermione was working late, Draco was lying in bed with Rose, reading her a book when he paused and looked at her. "Rose, can I ask you a question?" She nodded. "You know I love your mum very much. And you know that I love you very much." She waited patiently as he thought about his next sentence. "What I want to ask you is: how would you feel if I asked your mum to marry me?"

Rose looked up at him, excitement brimming in her eyes. "You're going to marry Mama?"

"If she wants to marry me, then yes."

"So you would be my daddy for real?"

He paused for a moment. "Kind of. Ron is your father," he tried not to scowl when he spoke Ron's name. "I would be your step-father."

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's someone who related to you by marriage instead of by blood," he explained.

"Ohh…" she said in understanding. "Well I don't care about that; you're my real daddy." She said, hugging him.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Rose. That means a lot to me. So what do you say? Do I have your permission to marry your mum?"

Rose nodded and gave him the biggest grin he had ever seen. "Yes."

* * *

 **Six Years Later**

Rose was wandering through Diagon Alley with her younger twin brother and sister, Lucas and Regina, admiring the sights and smells one last time before she left for Hogwarts for the first time in September. She had just gotten her wand and was now wandering with the twins while Hermione and Draco left to get her an owl. She took the twins to Florean Fortescue's and got them ice cream where her parents met them and introduced them to her new Burrowing Owl. She would name him Maurice.

"What house do you think you'll get into, Rose?" Lucas asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping for Gryffindor but…"

"But I'm still holding out hope that she lands in Slytherin," Draco said embracing her.

"Dad!" she said when he ruffled up her hair. Hermione laughed. "Don't get your hopes up, Malfoy. She takes after me more than anyone, don't forget that."

Draco shrugged and smirked. "We'll see, Granger. We'll see."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Hey, that's Malfoy to _you,_ buster."

He grabbed the hand that was pointing at him and he kissed it. "Of course, how stupid of me," he smirked.

Regina sighed loudly, not enjoying her parents making googly eyes at each other. "I wish I could go with you, Rose! I'm going to be so bored without you!"

"Hey! You have me!" Lucas exclaimed.

"You're boring!" Regina replied. "All you ever want to do is read! At least Rose will play Quidditch with me!"

"Quidditch is boring though! All you do is fly around on brooms and throw balls around while two people at the very top try to catch a much smaller ball!"

"Exactly! That's what makes it fun!" Regina said.

Lucas shook his head. "To each his own, I suppose, but I still think it's boring."

Rose looked at him, confused. "How are we related?"

Lucas shrugged and Draco laughed. "Oh, I can't wait 'til all three of you are at school. McGonagall's going to lose her mind."

"Five. More. Years!" Regina said. "I don't know if I can handle the wait."

"You'll be fine, Reggie," Hermione said, laughing. "Before you know it, it'll be December and Rose will be back with a million stories of the insane adventures that she and Albus got into."

"Like the ones you and Uncle Harry used to get into, mum?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, Merlin, I hope not," she laughed.

"Speaking of your school days, mum…" Rose began. "I overheard Aunt Ginny talking to Granny the other day."

"Oh?" Hermione asked. "And what did you hear?"

"That Ron's back in town…" She had stopped calling him 'papa' a while after he left. Besides, she considered Draco her real dad and didn't feel it necessary to keep referring to Ron as 'dad' when he wasn't. He may have been her birth father but Draco raised her and cared for her like his own. He was her father and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Hermione and Draco froze and looked at each other before looking back to their daughter. The twins stopped what they were doing as well and watched their parents and oldest sibling look at each other. They seemed to be having a silent conversation and when Rose bit her lip, Hermione groaned. "Rose, what did you do?"

"I- I may or may not have written him a letter asking to meet with him while we were in Diagon Alley today."

"You did what?" Hermione asked.

"Did he reply?" Draco asked at the same time.

Rose nodded. "He agreed. I'm supposed to meet him at the Leaky Cauldron in fifteen minutes."

"Rose," Draco groaned.

"I know, I'm sorry. I know I should have talked to you about it beforehand but I just did it on impulse and didn't think about it until after we had set a meeting. I just… I…"

"You just what, Rose?" Hermione asked.

"I- I just wanted to talk to him. I wanted to get to know him, if he'd let me." Both Hermione and Draco's eyes softened. "Please don't be angry," Rose pleaded.

Hermione sighed and looked at Draco who gave her a small smile and nodded. "Well, I did say that if you wanted to meet with him someday, I wouldn't stop you. Someday came a little sooner than I would've liked but that's okay. If you want to talk to him, you can. You'll only have an hour though since we have to be at Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's at six."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you, mum, thank you. I'm sorry I hid it from you guys, I just didn't know how you would react."

"That's quite alright, sweetheart," Hermione said and brushed a curl behind her ear. "We understand. Now, shall we walk you to the pub? We can keep ourselves entertained while you two talk."

They walked her to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and she hugged the twins before hugging her mother. Lastly, she pulled Draco into a bone crushing hug, that she picked up from Molly, and Draco returned it happily. "No matter what happens in there, you know you'll always be my dad, right?" she said, pulling out of the hug.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I do. And you'll always be my little girl."

She hugged him again. "Love you, dad."

"Love you, Rose. Good luck."

She smiled and walked into the pub, leaving her parents and siblings in Diagon Alley. Hermione wrapped her arm around Draco's waist and he kissed her temple as they watched her walk away.

"You think she'll be okay, mum?" Regina asked.

Hermione smiled down at her youngest daughter. "I think she's going to be better than okay. I think she's going to be great."

"Of course she will. She is a future Gryffindor, after all," Draco said.

Hermione looked at him and furrowed her brows. "I thought you said she was going to be a Slytherin?"

He shrugged. "I'm still holding out hope but let's be honest, that girl's been a Gryffindor since the day she was born." He looked to the twins. "If she is a Gryffindor, I'm relying on one of you to be a Slytherin, okay?"

The twins laughed. "Well we obviously know it's going to be me," Regina said, proudly.

"What? No way! You're not nearly as clever as I am!" Lucas defended.

"Being clever isn't the only thing that matters to Slytherin, dummy! You have to be cunning and ambitious and resourceful. All three of which I am."

"Taking the stickers off a Rubik's cube and moving them around doesn't count as resourcefulness, Reggie."

Regina looked at her brother offended. "Well coming up with puns doesn't make you clever, Lucas!"

It was Lucas' turn to be offended. "Don't be jealous just because you can't come up with any good puns, little sister!"

"I'm older!"

"By two minutes! And I'm taller than you so that automatically makes me older."

"What? No it doesn't!"

"Who wants to go to the bookstore?" Draco interjected.

"Me!" both twins said at the same time.

Draco laughed as he followed the twins (who were still bickering) into Flourish and Blotts while Hermione apparated home quickly to drop off Maurice and all of Rose's school supplies.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rose found Ron the second she walked into the Leaky Cauldron. The red hair was hard to miss, especially since the restaurant was at it's in between hour of lunch and dinner. He was sitting in the far corner with a mug of what she assumed was tea in front of him. She slid into the booth across from him and he perked up as soon as he saw her.

"Rose," he said, breathlessly as he looked his daughter over. The last time he saw her, she had been four years old. Now, seven years later, she had grown up into quite the young girl who had a look on her face that suggested she was wise beyond her eleven years.

"Hello, Ron." She didn't look away as he flinched slightly at her use of his first name instead of 'dad.'

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good," she replied. "We got my wand today and mum and dad bought me an owl for school. I named him Maurice."

He smiled a little. "That's a good name for an owl. Better than Pigwidgeon." She raised an eyebrow and he shook his head. "Ask your Aunt Ginny."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Alright, then. How's Quidditch going?"

"Good. We made it to the finals this year. We lost to Bulgaria but we still made it pretty far which is good for us."

She nodded. "That's good." They sat in silence for a few minutes while both tried to figure out what to say next.

"So what Hogwarts house are you hoping to get into?" he finally asked.

"Gryffindor. Dad's still holding out hope that I'll be in Slytherin but mum and I agree that that's a lost cause. I'm pretty sure one of the twins is going to be in Slytherin. They're both too much like dad that I'd be surprised if neither of them ended up in that house."

He nodded. "How is your mum?"

"She's good. Really good, actually. She just signed a deal with France recently and is currently talking to the U.S. about the same deal."

"Glad to hear it. So she and Malfoy are happy?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they're very happy. The twins were born a little after mum and dad got married and it's just been the five of us and the two cats dad adopted after Crookshanks died. And dad's owl Samuel and now my owl Maurice."

"What are your siblings like?" he asked.

Rose thought for a moment. "Well, personally, I think they're both insane but I love them anyway. I'm convinced that Regina's secretly a mad scientist: she's obsessed with everything potions related and is always coming up with these crazy muggle mathematical equations that make no sense to me, Lucas, or dad but mum totally gets them and thinks that they're brilliant. I swear, with the right training, that girl could rule the world if she wanted to.

"As for Lucas, he's much quieter than either of us. He always has his nose in a book and he hates Quidditch, much to dad's horror. He's a good kid, although, he has his moments where his crazy side comes out and sometimes we'll find him and Regina wrestling in the living room or they'll have a dueling match outside with sticks since they can't have a wand yet. It's always entertaining to see who wins those."

Ron chuckled. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you like to do? Are you more of a bookworm or Quidditch type of person?"

"Both. I love to read (muggle books especially) but I also love Quidditch. I'm planning on trying out during Second Year. Albus and I have a Quidditch match every time we go to Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's or when they come over to house. James, dad, Uncle Harry, and even Aunt Ginny will join us sometimes too. Mum will usually stay on the ground with the twins and Lily."

"Yeah, your mum was never a fan of flying," Ron said.

Rose cocked her head to the side. "Why did you agree to meet me?" she asked. "Last I remember, you couldn't care less about either mum or me."

He flinched at that. "Look, Rose-"

"I don't know why you left, Ron," she interrupted, "and frankly, I don't care. You made your decision and I accept that. But what I want to know is after all these years of no contact, why you agreed to meet with me."

"Were you not expecting a response?" he asked.

"I was expecting something along the lines of 'No, I don't want to meet with you.'"

He sighed and looked down at his hands in shame. "I'm sorry that I gave you the impression that I wouldn't want to meet with you. I do; which is why I'm here. I- I wanted to see you and- and make sure that you were okay. That my leaving didn't cause too much damage."

"Oh, now you care about the damage you caused?" she asked, bitterness growing in her voice.

"I deserve that," he conceded. "Frankly, I deserve a lot worse. But to answer your question, I wanted to see you because… I wanted to see how you were and how you've grown. You got my height, I see; but you look so much like your mother. You have her brains too; I can tell." He chuckled nervously before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Rose, I owe you an apology."

She was taken aback. She hadn't seen that coming. "I'm sorry that I left," he started. "I'm sorry that I was a bad father, and I'm sorry that I left without saying goodbye. You didn't deserve that and neither did your mum. And I know this sounds like a cheap cop out but I really wasn't in a good place when I left. I don't know if your mum told you about her miscarriage," Rose nodded in confirmation that she did, indeed, know about the brother she'd never meet, "but it broke me. We were already having problems and losing the baby just broke something inside me that the only way I knew how to fix it was run. So I did. And I will regret that decision until the day I die. I had so much, more than I deserved, and I threw it away because I was lost and I felt trapped.

"I am so sorry that I did that. I'm sorry for any pain that I caused you or your mother. I lost the best thing that ever happened to me and I acknowledge that I won't get that back; but I hope that, with time, you'd be willing to maybe fix it. I know I can't get back the past seven years, but I'm hoping that maybe you'll let me be a part of the rest of your life. I understand if you don't want me to. But I'm better now, Rose. I met someone who whipped me into shape and she helped me turn my life around. Her name's Mona; we'll be getting married next June. I was hoping that maybe we could know each other a little better by then. I think you'll like her; she's got a fire in her that drives her."

"Would you still be living in the States?" she asked.

He nodded. "My contract with the Towers doesn't expire until next year but I've been talking with a couple of teams here in London and I might be able to transfer so that I'd be closer to you."

"You'd transfer back to London just to be closer to me?" she asked, skeptically.

He nodded. "If you want me to; Mona's agreed to move, too if we decide to do so but if you don't want me near you, I understand."

She thought for a moment. She wanted to get to know him; he was her birth father after all. He apologized, he said he had changed, and he seemed to genuinely want to get to know her. But there was a nagging voice in the back of her head warning her not to trust him just yet. "How do I know that you won't leave again?" she asked.

His eyes softened and she could see that was ashamed of himself. "I know that my word probably means nothing to you right now, but I promise, I won't leave again. I made that mistake once and I lost everything I hold dear; I refuse to make the same mistake twice. Please just trust that I do want to get to know you and that I won't leave. I promise that I'll stay and we can try to develop some sort of a relationship… that is if you want to?"

She sighed and gave him a small smile. "I'd like that."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes shining with hope.

"Really," she smiled.

"Rose," a new voice said. Both looked to the source and found Hermione walking towards them. "It's time to go, sweetheart."

Rose nodded and stood up from the table. "Thank you for meeting with me, Ron."

"Thank you for listening, Rose," he said, then looked to the brunette he hadn't seen in years. "Hello, Hermione."

"Hello, Ron," she said, civilly.

"You look well," he observed.

"I am. How are you?" she asked.

"A lot better than the last time you saw me," he said.

She nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Hermione, I know that it's probably seven years too late but… I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. For everything."

Her lips curved up into a small smile. "I forgive you, Ron."

"As do I," Rose said.

He smiled at the both of them and they returned the gesture. "Keep me updated on which house you get into, will you?" Ron asked his daughter.

She smiled and nodded. "Will do."

"Good luck," he said.

"See you around," she replied.

And for the first time in seven years, the shadow that had followed them around ever since the day Ron left was gone and in its place, was the sun. And with the sun, came hope.

Hope for reconciliation.

Hope for happiness.

Hope for a new beginning.

 **The End.**


End file.
